Formosat-5, the nation’s first domestically developed remote-sensing satellite, has taken more than 60,000 images since it was launched five years ago, the National Science and Technology Council said on the anniversary of its launch on Thursday.
The satellite was launched on Aug. 25, 2017, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, and began commercial operations on Sept. 21, 2018.
Since then, it has taken more than 60,000 images with a success rate of 94.87 percent, council data showed.
Photo: CNA
Formosat-5 not only established Taiwan as a capable developer of satellites and optical parts, but also helps with disaster response around the world, council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said.
In the past five years, it has provided images of areas affected by 19 domestic and 101 international disasters, council data showed.
These include major events such as the July 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes in southern California, flooding in Kaohsiung on Aug. 6 last year and the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption in the South Pacific in January, the council said.
Through the images, countries could grasp a better understanding of the respective situation on the ground, it said.
Large-scale wind events, weather and other factors can affect the operation of reconnaissance aircraft, but satellite images can be taken immediately, the National Space Organization (NSPO) said.
The satellite also helps governments, industry and academics with ecological monitoring, Wu said.
For instance, Formosat-5 has helped countries in Central America fight Panama disease, which poses a serious threat to banana crops, the council said.
As the banana industry is crucial for diplomatic allies Guatemala, Honduras and Belize, they sought assistance from Taiwan to fight the fungus-caused disease, it said.
Researchers developed a program that can automatically identify affected areas through regular images taken by Formosat-5, enabling farmers to quickly remove threatened plants and stymie the spread, it added.
Formosat-5 set a milestone for Taiwanese space technology, the council said.
Third-party manufacturers involved in the satellite’s production have achieved the highest level of NASA’s nine-tiered technology readiness system, granting the industry a firm foothold in international markets, it added.
Formosat-5 is still in good condition, even though it has reached the end of its expected lifespan, the NSPO said.
For now, it is to remain in operation, with plans to experiment with other functions to gather data for future satellite design and maintenance, it added.
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